Overweight? Seriously?

[bjarvis]

I'm 5'9", 180lbs currently. According to the Body Mass Index (BMI), I'm overweight. Indeed, I need to lose about 12lbs to fit their definition of a healthy weight.

I am working towards a better body --just as soon as I finish off these boxes of girl scout thin mint cookies-- but cutting back by 12lbs is a bit extreme.

Comments

[qnetter]

BMI does not adjust for muscle mass. Other than as a broad general guideline, it's pretty useless.

[beartalon.livejournal.com]

I thought you were taller than me. It doesn't change how handsome you are, I just have a bot of a thing for men taller than me. :)

Getting to my healthy BMI means being as small as I was in grade 8 or so. I was a fat kid. That's very hard to imagine, dividing my weight almost in half. My adult life is defined by being fairly round, so I think I'll stop at what I think of as a healthy weight mentally, but getting there is going to be a long process, especially if I can't divorce salty snacks (and who am I kidding, chocolate) from my life.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

That's just the thing, my height is roughly 5'10", but weight between 160-170# most of the time these days, and I don't really consider myself overweight, at least not by much anyway, and I do a lot of walking, so that helps.

Lately, I think I've lost a bit of weight, not intentionally, but have lost a few nonetheless.

[tdjohnsn.livejournal.com]

BMI is only a rough guide. That said, 168 sounds about right.

Tracking body fat percentage (via bio electric resistance or an inexpensive pair of calipers) is a much better guide to how you are doing than weight, since what matters health wise is your percentage of lean body mass to fat. 5' 9" 180lbs means one thing if you are 22% body fat (which is my guess at where you are), but you would be built like a porn star at 12% and be weak and doughy at 30% all while weighing the same thing.

From what I have read 18% is the top range of healthy for men, with 12 to 15 being optimal. I'm at 19 now (5' 10", 165lbs), but my goal is 15. Ron is at 20 and he wants to be at 12 like Christpher. It's really hard though. As a culture we eat way too many things that aren't lean meats and veggies and even once you get what you eat dialed in, there is temptation and old habits everywhere.

Youre looking good though. The extra muscle mass looks really good on your frame!

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Thin mints are my super-weakness, especially when they're frozen.

But yeah, 180 at 5'9", unless you can squat 550, is overweight. As everyone else has stated, BMI assumes a sedentary (ie, aversage american) lifestyle, and doesn't take muscle mass into consideration. It's purely a weight-to-height ratio.

FWIW, I'm squatting well into the 400s these days (way down from my peak at over 550), and I weigh 192, at 6'4".

[(Anonymous)]

I thought BMI was Baltimore Museum of Inudstry :(

[tinman11201.livejournal.com]

You are absolutely gorgeous, don't even think of losing more weight. I wish I had your body! (I wish I had your body against me!! LOL)

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

You look great! Screw the index!

an alternative

[(Anonymous)]

Instead of losing 12 pounds, you could achieve a better BMI by growing several inches taller. It worked for me.

John in Toronto

Re: an alternative

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I'll get right on that. :-)

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

You had Thin Mint cookies in your possession, and ten days ago you sat down at a dinner table with me, and said Thin Mints were nowhere in evidence. Not even MENTIONED!

You are *dead* to me! You know my addictions! not even ONE Thin Mint did you bring forth. You know what you are? a *hoarder*!

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

That can be arranged... with pleasure. Seriously. :-)